AAA Omaha (8-4): W 8-3
Edward Olivares hit his 3rd HR of the season for Omaha yesterday. He finished the game 2-4 with the HR and a BB to bump his season OPS up to 1.071. He also didn’t strike out in the game, meaning his K% on the season is down to just 16.1%. The walk gives him an 11.9% BB% on the year. His ISO is north of .220. His wRC+ is north of 170. It may not be long until we see Olivares back in the big leagues.
In other news, Bubba Starling hit his first 2 HR of the season for Omaha in the victory. His season OPS is 1.067. Kyle Isbel hit a couple singles and did not strike out. Carlos Hernandez struck out 7 and walked a pair in 5 innings. Jesse Hahn looked good in his rehab assignment. He and Kyle Zimmer could both rejoin the big league club on Tuesday. As is customary in 2021, all of the Royals affiliates will have an off day tomorrow.
AA Northwest Arkansas (5-6): L 4-6
Despite having Bobby Witt Jr., Adalberto Mondesi, Clay Dungan, Nick Pratto, MJ Melendez, and Brewer Hicklen all in the same lineup, as well as having Rudy Martin healthy, the Naturals just can’t find a consistent groove offensively. Adalberto Mondesi crushed a 431-foot, 3-run HR in his rehab stint and the Naturals still only mustered 4 runs on the day. Rudy Martin got on base 3 times in 6 tries, Nick Pratto hit a couple singles, Clay Dungan got on 3 times in 5 tries, and that’s about all that was doing for NWA yesterday. MJ Melendez had the day off. Bobby Witt Jr. finished 0-5 with 2 K. On the mound, Jon Heasley struck out 5 in 5 innings of 1-run ball.
A+ Quad Cities (8-3): W 3-2
Nothing flashy from the River Bandits, but they just keep on rollin’. Vinnie Pasquantino hit his organization (MiLB) 4th HR of the year, a deep fly into the Mississippi River out beyond RF. His season OPS is .833. Angel Zerpa struck out 7 and walked just 1 in 5 innings of 1-run ball. Jonah Dipoto looked fantastic, striking out 6 in 3 scoreless innings of relief.
A- Columbia (6-6): L 5-8
Maikel Garcia reached base 4 times in 5 tries in a losing effort on Sunday. The talented young SS is now hitting .314 on the season with an .828 OPS. Brady McConnell finished 3-5 with a double off former Georgia standout Cole Wilcox. Juan Carlos Negret tallied a pair of singles. Nate Webb, Delvin Capellan, and Ismael Aquino combined for 12 K in 7 innings of 3-run ball in relief of starter Anderson Paulino. Aquino has been especially good this year out of the ‘pen, with an ERA of 0.00 and 8 K in 6.1 IP.
Royals Farm Report 